Ring Around The Rosy
by Angela and MiniMix
Summary: While Immortality challenges Time to a game of chance, Death quits his job.
1. The Challenge

Yeah. I have too many thoughts in my head. So... Eh. I think this might be a good one.

Warnings: Shonen-ai (Deathshipping, specifically. Others:?), AU, and characters randomly being related. _

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_While Immortality challenges Time to a game of chance, Death quits his job._

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"You can't _quit_! You're _Death_!" Malik Ishtar raged at his brother, who watched him coldly. 

"I just _did_, Einstein," Marik retorted, picking up a magazine and flipping through it idly. "I'm sick of being unappreciated in my work."

"What will Atemu say? And Bakura's going to throw a hissy fit! If you don't act as Death, the _world_ will be immortal! And Immortality is Bakura's job, and he won't be able to pick and choose his little pets if no one dies!"

"Not my problem anymore." He flipped a page idly. "If it's that important, _you_ do it."

"I can't! It's _your_ job!"

"And I quit."

Malik stared, shaking his head. While two or three week strikes were common for Marik, he'd never outright _quit_ before. If they didn't convince him to resume working... There'd be trouble. He could just _feel_ it.

----

Bakura motioned to the board before him. "Shall we play a game?" he asked, even as Atemu pulled up a chair.

"You know you're going to lose. You always do."

"Not this time, _dear _brother. I have a secret weapon now."

"You've only won four times and each win was because humans went extinct and there was no one left to measure time. And then they rose again and you lost another game."

Bakura only smiled. "They're reaching the end again, Atemu. Now, let's play."

----

"I don't see why you're quitting," Malik insisted, intent on convincing his brother not to quit. "All the ladies think you're hot."

"Yeah. Then they realize I'm Death and there to take them across. Then they beg and cry. And when that fails, they they curse me to Hell and kick and scream all across the river. I'm such a ladies man."

"But people write _poems_ about you. _They _like you!"

"Emos, goths, and Edgar Allan Poe wanna be's. And half of them think I'm a _woman_."

"Yes well-"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!"

"You were going to drum up more pointless reasons for me to keep my job. No."

Malik sighed. "I'll drag Ryou into this."

"And I'll make him forget what he was going to say before he can blink."

"You'd go back to work if he kissed you."

"I'd go back to work if he got laid. Oh wait. We already used that one last time and I called off the strike. Ryou's no virgin, oops there went my motivation."

"But-!"

"_No_."

Defeated, Malik stomped off again. He was getting nowhere with this. And with Bakura and Atemu-the only ones with any _real_ power over Death- locked in another game, no one would be able to convince the stubborn idiot that he couldn't _quit_.

----

Pegasus sat down beside Atemu. "May I join? Risk is always more challenging with three."

Bakura paused.

"I assure you, it's only boredom." There was silence, then Bakura nodded.

"And now, we begin."

* * *

For reference, because the relations may get a little confusing. All the deities are related, meaning that Atemu and Bakura are brothers, as are Ryou, Malik, Yuugi and Pegasus, and Isis would be their sister, and so on. 

As for who controls what aspect of the universe, that will be explained later.


	2. For The Love Of Isis

There will be multiple pairings through out this, for reference. ...And I think some pairings may change completely at some point or other for the sole reason that I tend to forget which people are together. -shifty eyes-

And I apologize for it taking so long. None of them wanted to cooperate with me.

**_

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_**"And you're sure he won't reconsider?" Isis asked, frowning. Malik nodded.

"He said as much himself."

"That's bad Malik. Very bad. We need him to perform his job."

"I know, but the only ones with any control over him are Atemu and Bakura."

"And they've begun another game."

"Exactly."

----

Bakura eyed the pieces on the board. He could ally with Pegasus and take Atemu out quickly, taking control of Time as he intended and rendering his original plan pointless. Or he could ally with Atemu long enough to take out Pegasus-who shouldn't even be playing in the first place- then turn on Atemu before he could retaliate.

Or he could stay with his original plan and win that way. _He wasn't actually guaranteed a win with that plan but it still gave him a small window of oppurtinity in which Chance would abandon her master long enough for him to seize a win if he played his cards right._

It was a tough choice.

----

Marik ignored his brother as he flipped through the channels on the TV. Malik had never bothered to explain how they had electricity in their realm, never mind cable, but he'd stopped wondering once he'd realized he could watch football without leaving his living room, and for Marik, that was Heaven.

Malik, on the other hand, was scribbling away in a notebook like always. Most likely notes on the current era and it's advances, for when he and the other two went off to write down history like usual.

"Marik-"

"If you ask me again, I swear I will take the job back long enough to kill you and then quit again."

"But-"

"For the love of Isis Malik, _no_!"

"Speaking of Isis-"

"Son of a bitch, don't make me get up you stupid little scribbler!"

"Don't swe-"

"_Shut up_!" he finally roared, and Malik went quiet. "Thank you." he snapped, now too irritated to follow the game on the TV. "See what you did? Now I don't know what the hell just happened."

"The Pats scored a touchdown and they'll win the game."

The TV clicked off. "Thanks for ruining it, you stupid blonde."

"I'm not stupid," he muttered.

"I'm going to see Mai. She at least knows when to give it up."

"Bakura won't like that. She's his."

"He'll live." Marik stomped out of the room, leaving Malik alone to sigh over his notebook and finish his notes alone.

* * *

It's kinda short. I think. But eh...


End file.
